The Joker's Favor
Charlie Collins, a normal everyday guy, inadvertently cusses out the Joker when the latter's getaway car cuts him off on the highway after a particularly bad day. The Joker runs him off the road and corners him. Desperate to save his life, Charlie mentions he has a wife and son and promises to do anything the Joker asks of him. He accepts, and takes Charlie's license and leaves. When Charlie asks what the favor will be, Joker says he has not thought of it yet, but when he does, he will be in touch. Two years later, the Joker learns that Commissioner Gordon is to be given an award, and decides to call in the favor that Mr. Collins owes him. The Joker has kept tabs on Charlie this time, even though Charlie has changed his name and moved to a different city. Charlie is terrified when the maniacal clown calls him, and drops a thinly-veiled threat to his family's safety. Charlie has no choice but to travel to Gotham. When he arrives, Charlie is surprised when he learns what the favor is to be: Holding a door open for the Joker's right-hand woman, Harley Quinn, when she wheels a cake into Gordon's testimonial dinner. Nevertheless, the Joker promises to send Charlie home immediately afterwards. Not knowing what the Joker is planning, but desperate to avoid it, Charlie fashions a crude Bat-signal, which is seen by Bruce Wayne as he is leaving the dinner. Just then, Charlie is called to hold up his end of the bargain. Charlie dutifully opens the door for Harley, but then finds that his hand has been glued to the handle. Harley slips Charlie a gas mask and dons one herself before the candles on the tables release a gas that paralyzes everybody else in the room. As the guests watch, immobile and helpless, the Joker enters the room in grand fashion and "congratulates" Gordon by pinning a miniature bomb on his lapel. The Joker and Harley leave, explaining, to Charlie's horror, that the Joker does intend to let him go home, but not alive. With only a few seconds left, Batman jumps down into the room. Acting upon Charlie's warning, Batman grabs the bomb and launches it outside with his grapple gun. Hearing an explosion from outside rather than inside, the Joker realizes something is amiss, but then sees that the bomb has blown up their getaway van. Batman frees Charlie from the glue, while Charlie explains that the Joker called Charlie his "hobby", keeping watch on him for years and threatening his family. Batman pursues the Joker through the building, dealing in turn with Harley and two thugs. The Joker manages to escape the building, only to then see Charlie waiting for him in an alley. The Joker laughs this off, but is surprised when Charlie belts him in the gut, knocking him into some garbage. In a rage, the Joker repeats his threat to attack Charlie's family. But, driven to mad desperation, Charlie holds up another one of the Joker's bombs, vowing to protect his family by doing them both in and robbing Joker of the only dream he has—defeating Batman in a huge spectacle or dying in the effort—and making sure he'll only be remembered as having been blown up by "a miserable little nobody". Panicking, the Joker tries to talk Charlie down while simultaneously screaming for Batman's help. Batman arrives and tries to persuade Charlie to back down, but Charlie refuses to listen, as he's sick and tired of being under the Joker's thumb. Believing that Charlie has lost it and feeling he has no other choice, the Joker gives up his notebook containing all the information he has on Charlie and his family. After the Joker surrenders the information, Charlie tosses the bomb towards him anyway. The Joker screams and hides behind Batman, but the bomb is revealed to be a harmless confetti firework. Batman laughs, surprisingly, and promptly takes a greatly-irritated Joker into custody. Free of the Joker at last, Charlie finally gets to go home, looking forward to his "ordinary" life more than he ever has before. Category:Story